Stars Are Holding You Tonight
by MadamMuse
Summary: Grimmjow loses all memory of himself, can Vincent help him regain the pieces?
1. Chapter 1

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{1}

"Damn beast, what the hell were you thinking of stealing from us?" A voice sneered as the man held a crowbar and a few other lackeys were surrounding another male, but this one was different. It was human for one part, it had a white body of some sort, a bone crown, a long light blue mane, a tail, and its movements were that of a panther. It snarled at the men and leapt to lash at the throat of a man, but it fell short as a gunshot rang out. Curled up, the figure whimpered in pain as it cradled its right arm, its good arm.

"Damn right, bitch. Now give us what you stole or else we'll kill ya!"

"Yeah, kitty-cat! Hand over the mouse!" Another joked, a nail bat in hand. The beast looked up and snarled, growling in defense as it showed it could go ahead and attack, because a gunshot wound wasn't going to stop it in its tracks. It moved to pounce again, but another gunshot shook the atmosphere and a yowl was released from clenched teeth.

"Next time, I won't miss." The voice said, the head of the group. "Go ahead boys, kill him. Wait, don't kill him, just wreck him enough that he'll be dead by tomorrow morning." The man commanded his underlings and put the gun into his belt hold. He smirked and spit on the ground before the beast and started to walk away. The boys snickered and moved, closing the distance between the feline man and themselves. The man looked around franticly trying to find a way out of the alley, but he had chosen the worst spot to be, a dead-end.

The men raised their weapons that ranged from crowbars to screwdrivers to bats with nails. The man tried to defend himself from these gang members, but he was outnumbered. And the worst part was he was wounded in the arm and shoulder, disabling both arms. The man's ears were lowered and teal orbs wide in fear.

Weapons came down in a rain of barrages and swings, drawing blood and cracking bone. They even tore at his mane, also clipped a part of his ear off to save a souvenir. Soon, they were done, leaving the cat man bloody, broken, and bruised at the feet of a gang. They laughed and gave the man a few kicks before walking off.

"Later, pussy cat!" One called, getting a few hoots from the others. Then they were gone.

Then the silence came.

Nothing but sheer silence. The man whimpered softly, hoping for someone to come along and rescue him, instead of beat him up because he was accused of doing something wrong. He didn't steal anything, he just caught their attention at the wrong time, the time when they were bored. The beast moaned quietly, curling into a ball, waiting for death's hand to come and free him from this place.

A flap? The man craned his neck slowly, his vision starting to black out, his head hurt so much that everything was spinning. He must have guessed it was a bird. Then the color red caught his eye, he looked up to see a figure shadowing over him. Was it death? The cat raised a shaking black hand up at the stranger, who now knelt next to him.

Then darkness ascended, his hand fell limp, only to be caught by the stranger. Maybe it was an angel. Whatever it was, he hoped it would take him to a better world away from this one.

_'Tonight is going to be yet again, another rainy night. I don't know when It's going to stop raining, but let us hope soon, the summer festival is going to be arriving soon and we all know how important it is to all of us. So let's hope it'll stop showing this moody weather and bring us some sunshine and rainbows.'_

A voice said in an upset tone, which caused a groan to erupt from a soar throat. A figure moved to sit up, but bit back a cry and sank back down onto something soft, a bed. Opening its eyes slowly, it took in its surroundings. A small apartment room with a television that was flashing news reports along with a bedside table, a lamp (which was turned off due to the television was lighting up the whole room anyway) and another figure that was sated in the window sill. What caught the man in the bed's attention to the other guy was that he was garbed in black and red. Soon, the man felt afraid, what if he was being held there for the gang boss to come in and laugh at him and hold a gun to his head.

Despite all the pain and wounds, the cat like man moved quickly, rolling off the bed and moving to a corner of the room as the man in the window noticed that his guest had awoken. The cat whimpered and held himself, tail wrapped around his feet and ears drooped low. The man in red set a foot on the floor and stood. He had a slender build and had raven hair that framed a delicate, white face with calming crimson eyes.

"I see you're awake." The figure said in a soothing tone, one that seemed to believe that he wasn't going to hurt him, but still, he didn't want to trust this man. The stranger approached and knelt down before the man, who cringed, afraid of behind hit, only to hold out his hand.

"It's alright. You shouldn't move too much, you'll only split open your wounds and then we'll have another mess to clean up." The man said, sounding a bit annoyed, but he sighed, his eyes half lidded and calm.

"I promise." He said after a moment of silence and seeing the teal eyes stare at him in fear. How he hated it that this.. Creature, was bright and noticeable, while himself, on the other hand, was dark and mysterious.

_I promise._

Somehow that line hit the frightened man hard and his ears slightly raised as he reached out, looking from his hand to the other's face from time to time, until he had his hand in the other's.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" The male asked, not giving a smile, it was as if he had forgotten how to smile, or that his face would crack its smooth exterior if he did such a thing. The cat man's ears twitched to be erect to their normal height.

"Do you have a name? I can't just keep thinking you as an 'it'." The male said coolly, now standing, pulling the other up with him. The man tilted his head to the side.

"N-n-na-name?" The man echoed, unaware of what it meant. This caused the other one to raise a brow.

"You know, something people call you?" The man asked, letting go of the other's to cross his arms. The bluenette noticed that one of the man's arms was gold, a gauntlet. It caught his interest and he leaned closer to the metal arm and tilted his head. The other raised a brow and held his arm out. Causing the bluenette to flinch. The other withdrew his arm and crossed them again.

"Mhmm.." The man said, putting his gantlet hand to his chin, thinking.

"G-ggrrrr-Grrrrrimmjow." The bluenette said, tilting his head to the side, causing the other to look up to him.

"Grimmjow? That's your name?" The black head asked, only to get a tail flick and a tilt of the head in response. He sighed and put a hand to his face.

"This is going to be hard." He muttered, "My name is Vincent, Vincent Valentine." He said, planning to introduce himself just in case Grimmjow could remember how to act like a human that wasn't retarded due to sniffing too much catnip or something along those lines. Grimmjow blinked and a small smile crept on his face.

"Vin-Vin!" Grimmjow said in a cheerful way, causing the other to question if it was the right thing to take this person under his wing. He sighed.

"Whatever." Vincent muttered and then held out a hand, motioning for the other to return to the bed. Grimmjow obeyed and waddled to the bed, wincing every now and then due to the tremendous amount of pain that rocketed throughout his body. Vincent looked down at the bluenette and then away to grab some pain medication that he had on him wherever he went to mend his wounds when he was in combat. He held out his hand that contained two pills.

"Take these and the pain will go away, and get some sleep." Vincent commanded, getting a nod in reply and the other took the medication and swallowed it down. Vincent sighed and put a hand on his face.

"I'm baby-sitting a grown man that doesn't know anything." He muttered, Grimmjow laying down and curling in a ball like a cat and purring softly. Vincent looked at the sleeping figure, who's back was to him.

"Maybe it won't be so bad.."

To be Continued..


	2. Chapter 2

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{2}

* * *

A yawn, then a shuffle. A head soon emerged from under a set of sheets, indigo hair as long as a horse's mane. The figure shook his head with another yawn, stretching much like a cat, tail arched in the air. A smack of lips and a look around the room reminded the male that he was in an area that was foreign to him. His ears dropped and he looked about, trying to remember how he got here in the first place.

"Relax. You're fine." A voice said in a soothing, but monotone voice. The voice nearly made Grimmjow jump and cling to the wall, but he knew who it belonged to and he sighed. Curling back on the bed, he purred softly before his stomach decided to growl in protest that it was hungry and didn't want to sleep anymore.

"You're hungry, aren't you." The voice asked from his perch on the windowsill. Obviously the other had gone out in the night when Grimmjow had finally fallen asleep. Grimmjow looked up at the other and nodded slowly. He was indeed hungry. The cat from the day before wasn't the best meal, since it too, was hungry. Vincent let a sigh pass his lips and looked out the window where he was seated.

"If you stay here, I'll see if Yuffie can stop by and drop off some food since I might be busy tonight." Vincent said, causing the other to tilt his head in slight confusion. The other put a hand to his temple and just stayed silent. Grimmjow took this as an annoyed action and his head sank.

"I s-sorry." The bluenette said with a flick of his tail. The other looked up suddenly and shook his head.

"No, it's alright. I can understand that you're hungry and confused. What did you do, lose your memory?" Vincent asked, raising a brow at Grimmjow as he rolled onto his other side, his back to him. His blue mane was so long, it looked nearly impossible to keep clean, but there were no mats or clumps. How did he do it? He shook his head of such thoughts.

"Yes." Grimmjow replied in a quiet tone which made Vincent crane his neck just to hear what he said. Vincent moved from his spot on the windowsill and sat at the foot of the bed, staying silent. The room was illuminated by the sunlight that poured out the window, but it still remained dark inside.

"Grimmjow.." Vincent sighed, putting a hand on his face as he groaned. "I'll get Yuffie to drop off some food." And with that, he stood up and drifted to the other side of the room, unaware that Grimmjow was watching with careful eyes before he stood on all fours and leaned towards the window.

* * *

"Damn it, Yuffie!" The red cloaked man said in a burst of steam. Yuffie yelped in surprise and nearly dropped the bag of groceries that Vincent had asked her to bring.

"W-What's the matter, Vincent? And what's with all this food? You don't even eat this much." Yuffie pointed out, setting the bags on the counter. Vincent had a hand running through his hair and a sigh escaping his lips.

"Let's just say, that he got away. His wounds are still healing and I just brought him back here yesterday." Vincent muttered, drawing in a breath, Yuffie smirking.

"Oooh, so you were having some fun?" she teased, getting a glare in response.

"Yuffie, he isn't even _human_." Vincent growled, crossing both arms and staring at the only way out, the window.

"Well, he shouldn't be that hard to find now, would he?" Yuffie said with a smile glued on her face. Vincent nodded.

"What's he look like, I'll see if I can find him when I'm out and about."

"He's white with a long, aqua mane. He has cat features."

"Cat? So he's part cat? That's weird." Yuffie said, screwing up her face with a disgusted look. "Why are you interested in him?"

"Because he nearly got killed and I just happened to be there." Vincent said, his eyes now moving from the window to her face. She could tell just by his eyes that he was dead serious. Yuffie raised her hands in defense.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." And with that, she was out the door. Vincent sighed and looked towards the doorway.

"Why would you run away?" He asked the emptiness of the room, getting no reply. "Was it something I said or..." He crossed his arms, putting one hand on his chin. Then it hit him.

"Ah, _that _is what you're after."

* * *

Padding on soft feet, the catlike man paused in silence, ears working their way to catch sound to see if anyone or thing was coming. The bandages around his wounds were now fresh with new blood, thanks to him running on all fours and whipping around corners at high speeds. Panting, the man craned his neck to hear voices, one that he remembered. He growled lowly and crept forward, tail swishing back and forth.

"Haha! I bet that damn cat is dead, damn, he looked deadly!" A voice joked, laughter joining in.

"Bah, he was just a wuss, not like he could have hurt us." Another said, a sound of glass shattering on the paved ground. The smell of alcohol stained the air and made the man's nose sting. These men were drunk, he could tell by their slurred speech. Grimmjow growled again, approaching. One man noticed who he was right away and pointed a hand with a beer bottle clenched tightly in his fingers.

"Hey, it's that pussy cat from yesterday." He said, laughing.

"What are you doing here? Coming for your death wish?" Another man joked, throwing a bottle at Grimmjow, who ducked and growled louder.

"Shit man, you asshole, you angered the damn cat." A man said in a mocking way, laughing as he slapped his buddy's back. The area erupted with laughter as Grimmjow flicked his tail once more before dashing forward, pouncing on the first man, yowling and digging his claws into the man's neck.

"Whoa shit!" A man yelled, obviously sober enough to know what was going on, and grabbed his shotgun, aiming at the cat, who glared at him and jumped when the thug pulled the trigger, only to look up and see that he was above him. Teeth ripped into flesh as the man clawed at the other as his eyes were being stabbed by sharp fingers.

Grimmjow growled and leapt off the bleeding man, now in a pool of crimson water. He hissed as he landed on the ground, his arm nearly buckling underneath him. He tottered to one side, but recovered quickly enough to dodge a long pole being drawn from the sky above. He swerved and grabbed the man's arm and twisted it until there was a sickening pop. The man screamed and shouted to let him go.

"Damn cat has gone mad!" One of the men said, finally sober enough to start panicking and grabbing weapons to defend themselves. The cat moved with such agility that they didn't have enough seconds to draw their weapons up in front of them to save themselves from a blow by Grimmjow's claws or legs for that matter. He had them. He had them torn apart by limb, had them bleeding from their throats, had them screaming for God. But God wasn't there and only the Devil responded with laughter.

Grimmjow stood on shaky back legs and heaved bright stained liquid and fell to his knees. He knew what it was going to cost him if he as did such a thing as run about with fresh wounds. Now they were ripped open and freshly oozing the liquid of life. The man growled, ears flicking as the sound of familiar footfalls were heard. Looking towards the sky, he saw him. The one draped in red.

"There you… What the hell did you do?" The voice asked, harsh and monotone. Grimmjow growled but was soon silent under the glare of the man that towered before him. Ears fell flat and tail fell limp.

"Damn it. Why did you do this? Why did you run away in the first place? Killing these people isn't going to help you get your memory back. You know that." Vincent said with a low snarl, arms crossed and fingers strumming. Grimmjow pressed himself to the pavement, feeling scared, he rolled onto his back and curled in a way that a wolf would to show submission. Letting out a small whine, his tail flicked and his eyes avoided the others, the fiery orbs of a demon.

"… Get up. We're going home." Vincent said, saying nothing more and turning to start walking away from the bloodshed and Grimmjow. Grimmjow rolled to his side and watched him leave, he blinked and got up on all fours and bounded after him. His tail flicked happily and he smiled up to the other, who didn't smile back. His ears fell and his tail limp, looking away.

"I'm not very happy that you decided to go off on your own like that." Vincent said quietly; quiet enough for Grimmjow to pick up. His ears twitched.

"I sorry…" Grimmjow apologized, jumping up after Vincent as he made his way to the rooftops.

"You know what, if you do that again, I won't come and find you next time." Vincent added, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Grimmjow following close behind.

"Next time you leave, just tell me first."

"Y-yes…" The teal haired man answered, following Vincent as he opened the rooftop exit and entered after the man. Fleeing down the stairway, they now entered his apartment complex, the smell of dust filled his nostrils and the panther sneezed. Grimmjow looked up at Vincent, who ignored him, so he lurked on past him and into a corner, curling up and going straight to sleep.

Vincent looked at Grimmjow and found himself staring at the other male for a while. He was blood stained, but that didn't matter. He was… _Interesting_.

* * *

To be Continued..


	3. Chapter 3

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{3}  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shortly after the night had passed and the two males had had a good enough rest, Vincent was of course, the first to stir as he awoke, sitting upright in his bed, the blankets astray. Rubbing delicate fingers though his hair and letting out an irritated sigh, his eyes trailed to the corner where the other male slept. Still bloodstained and breathing lightly, Grimmjow was dreaming. Vincent watched the sleeping form for a while until it stirred and Vincent moved to stand. Vincent pretended to have just woken up by stretching out his arms above his head and turning on the television.

"It seems today is yet again another rainy day. The temperature has dropped by a couple degrees from yesterday and remains the same throughout the day. Now at night, the storms should be clearing to show some stars and perhaps a half moon."

The weather report echoed in the small apartment. Causing the slumbering male to stir and sit upright, rubbing his teal eyes with a single black hand and yawned, showing a pair of perfectly straight white teeth.

"Have a good sleep?" A voice asked, causing the other to look at him, dry blood smeared all over his face and hands. He nodded slowly and gestured towards Vincent. The black headed man nodded, pushing off the covers as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched his arms out over his head and let out a groan. Grimmjow watched with interest as he sat there, unsure if he should move closer or to stay put.

"Seems like you need a bath. You're covered in blood and I bet it would feel great." Vincent muttered, looking over the male with interest in his eyes. His eyes rested on the hole in his stomach. How could he have missed that? He didn't even know how the other was still breathing or alive with a massive chunk out of his abdomen. He looked towards the television as it announced the weather of the day. Still bleak and stormy, such a depressing few days, and before the festival even. Grimmjow nodded at the words of a bath, seeing that he did need it. He patted his stomach first as it started to growl.

"Hu-n-grrrr-y." The male said, looking at Vincent who jerked his eyes away from the screen and nodded. Slowly getting up, the two filed into the kitchen, Grimmjow seated himself on a stool at the counter and watched as Vincent began to prepare breakfast.

"So you'll take a bath once you're finished, right?" Vincent asked, not looking up from where his hands flew fluently over the pan and knives as he prepared omelets. The bluenette nodded vigorously, a smile on his face.

"Yes." He said in a tone that made Vincent freeze for a split second. Why did he freeze? His voice… It was gentle and soft, something that he had rarely heard in a very long time. He squeezed his eyes shut before moving on to finish the eggs. Picking up the pan and swerving the butter around the pan, greasing it, cracking the eggs, depositing the eggs into the pan, adding cheese, watching it slowly become omelets. Grimmjow watched with his mouth slightly hung open, hungry and ready to devour the food that was to be placed before him, the smell hypnotizing.

Vincent raised a brow at the hungry animal that hovered over his counter. Moving slightly, he set the dish down, this was immediately snatched from him and cleans in only a matter of seconds. Vincent just had only started to begin to drive the fork into the omelet as he watched Grimmjow lick his fingers with a content smile on his face and a purr that echoed in the empty room.

Dishes clattered in the sink as the raven haired man turned to face the blunette, crossing his arms. The other didn't pay any attention to him as he gazed about the room, finally taking in all the sights and smells that he had not noticed since he was invited in.

"Alright, it's time for your bath." Vincent muttered in a flat tone, causing Grimmjow to blink at him and nod his head slowly. "Come. I'll show you how it works and everything." He added, pushing himself away from the counter, his fingers tracing the edges as he lingered around the corner. Only to check behind to see if he was following and he was, on all fours. He had to stop that, if he wanted to remember who he was, he had to at least act human and not some kind of animal, although he did reflect a lot of animal characteristics.

While the two of them moved down the short hallway into a room, which was soon flooded with lights with the flip of a switch. It was a normal, average bathroom that you would find in an apartment. "Alright, here's the bathroom, the towels are on the second shelf in the cupboard over there. Let me know if you need anything." Vincent said, turning to leave before a black hand took a hold of his arm. Pausing, he looked behind him.

"How to start?" Grimmjow asked, his ears slightly hanged, confused and afraid. Vincent raised a brow at the man; did he really lose _that_ much memory? He was really hopeless. Vincent sighed and strolled in, the cat following closely, watching his every move with teal eyes.

Grabbing a towel from where he had said it was held, he set it aside, the eyes watching him made him shiver, just for a quick moment. He straightened up and sighed. He bent over again, hearing the sound of claws as he looked to the side, his face a couple centimeters apart. Vincent caught himself staring at the other, while the other did the same. His eyes, he realized, weren't teal, they were a brilliant blue, neon and bright. Pupils were slits, the light hitting them just right to make them unnoticeable. He looked from his eyes to his lips, they were hovering right there. They looked silky soft, smooth. He noticed Grimmjow blinking at him, confused with the others halt in action. Vincent looked away, his face slightly burning with embarrassment. Was he being turned on by this man? Grimmjow didn't understand. Of course he didn't. He lost all of his memory and is sitting there on the toilet, watching him.

"You twist this and wait for the water to get warm. Then you plug it with the cork." Vincent explained, turning on the water. The liquid sputtered out in a roar, crashing at the bottom as if it was a waterfall. He held up the chain with the stopper on the end, letting it swing back and fourth, the blunette watched with intense eyes, like a cat waiting for the right moment to pounce to catch pray.

"The water's warm now, so we'll put this here…" Vincent placed the stopper in the drain and the water began to rise. "And you just wait for it to fill up and then turn it off. Easy, right?" Vincent explained. He felt like a teacher, speaking in a language so small children could understand. Grimmjow replied with a nod of his head, watching the water, his fingers holding tightly on the edge of the toilet seat. Vincent raised a brow.

"What's the matter?

"Water."

"Yes, what about it?"

"Water bad."

"Water bad? Like how?" Vincent asked, trying to understand. He didn't understand this man at all. It seemed as if he was talking in riddles the entire time and he just had to keep guessing for the right answers.

"Me no like water." The other replied, his eyes locked onto the water, hesitating to reach over and shut it off.

"Well, that's understandable, but you need to clean up. You're covered in dry blood." Vincent muttered back, feeling annoyed by the minute. Why was he acting so childish? It's just water! It wasn't even enough to drown a grown man.

"No."

Vincent paused, looking up slowly at the other, the cat had a pout on his face and his tail swished from side to side, as if irritated by an invisible pest.

"You have to. You don't want to be kicked out of my house and put back onto the streets where you'll meet those thugs now, am I right?" Vincent asked, standing up, rolling up his sleeves.

"No. I no bath." Grimmjow hissed, leaping in a silent bound towards the door, only to be grabbed harshly by the man that stood beside him. Vincent slammed the door shut and locked it, his other hand on the male's throat, slamming him against the wall. His lips curled into a snarl as the other wiggled under his grasp.

"You will take one. You live by my rules." Vincent growled, his cold, blood soaked eyes bore into the icy blue eyes, causing the other to shiver and whine, not in submission, but in pure fear. Grimmjow's ears dropped to show fear, his tail went between his legs as he tried to push himself free. Vincent took one last hard look and released his grasp. Almost instantly, Grimmjow cowered in the corner, his face buried in his hands as he shivered. Vincent kept an eye on the water before shutting off, seated on the toilet seat, he kept an eye on Grimmjow. He sighed, standing up to go over to the other, he paused. Grimmjow heard his footfalls and looked up, his icy eyes meeting with fiery eyes; it seemed to calm the both of them down.

Vincent said nothing as he stood there, but Grimmjow just cowered more, trying to mould into the wall, to hide and get away. Vincent reached out a hand and placed it on the blunette's head. "Look, I'm sorry, but you really must take a bath." Vincent apologized.

"W-Why?"

"Because you're filthy."

"S-So?"

"I'd like it better if you were clean."

"O-oh… Okay…"

That wasn't too hard, to his surprise. He watched the other creep over the edge of the tub, a smile curling on his lips as he felt the warmth of the water rise over him. Vincent sat back down, but by the edge of the tub to make sure that he was to get every spot clean. Grimmjow just laid there, head on the edge of the tub and body laid out under the water. He purred, which caused Vincent to give a small smile.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Vincent asked, getting a positive nod from the other. Grimmjow looked up, suddenly blinking in confusion as he was handed an object. "Use this. To wash off the blood. You know." Vincent explained, only to get a head tilt from Grimmjow. He sighed.

"Do I have to do this for you?" He grumbled, moving to sit on the edge of the tub, bar of soap in hand. The other cocked his head in slight confusion. Vincent leaned over, grabbing a rag cloth by the edge of the sink and dipped in the water, pausing before he realized that they haven't taken the bandages off. He reached over and put a finger under the gauze and started to tear it off, gently, slowly.

"What you doing?" The other asked in slight fear.

"Relax; you need the wounds to be cleaned as well as your body. To avoid infection." Vincent explained. The other relaxed as the bandages were peeled off, letting the water seep into the wound, gaining a hiss from the blunette. His tail arched above the water, showing that it did hurt that much. But soon, he relaxed, letting his body sink into the water once again.

Rubbing the soap in the wet rag towel, creating a layer of soap. Leaning over, he sets the rag on the other's back, scrubbing, not too hard, but hard enough to prevent hurting the other and cleaning the dried blood off. Grimmjow nearly flinched away in fear and panic, not sure what the other was doing. Thus, the flinch caused Grimmjow to press himself to the side of the tub close to the wall. Water splashed along the wall and across Vincent's clean clothes, his hand pressing on the wet surface, only to slip and to fall in. Grimmjow watched with wide eyes. Vincent lifted his head, hair stuck to his face, a scowl on his face.

"S-Sorry." Grimmjow squeaked. Then his eyes widened when the other reached over, set his hand on his head, and shoved it into the water. Grimmjow flailed and drew his head above the water. Vincent had his head resting in his hand, a grim smirk on his face. Grimmjow didn't understand what the other was thinking, until he laughed. Grimmjow didn't understand, but soon was laughing along. The highlight of a bath is when you can introduce 'fun' into the whole agenda.

To be continued..


	4. Chapter 4

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{4}  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shortly after the whole water games, Vincent finished helping Grimmjow finish up and dry him off before he kicked him out to wash himself off in privacy. The water beat down like needles, burrowing themselves into his skin. It felt relaxing, his muscles ached from all the work he had been doing for Reeve. Protecting Midgar was hard work; after all, he was the one they had to rely on. Being his speed and quick decisions. Then again, he hated it. Why did he have to do everything for them? Couldn't they do it themselves? Then again, they weren't used to the whole 'jumping' around that Vincent usually did and the ability to move a gun around swiftly and fire at rapid succession without missing.

Sighing and smiling at himself for feeling more capable at anything, he dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his lower half and pushed open the door. To his surprise, Grimmjow was seated on the floor, examining his claws when Vincent was in the shower. Looking up, the blunette smiled.

"Feel better, yes?" He asked, the grin catching Vincent off guard as he nodded slowly.

"You don't have to sit on the floor, you know. There's a reason why I have chairs in this place." Vincent said, holding onto the towel as he jabbed his thumb in the direction of the chairs. Grimmjow followed his pointing thumb to the wooden chairs and scrunched up his nose.

"Floor more comfy then chairs." The blunette said, returning his gaze back to Vincent who sighed and shrugged.

"Suit yourself…" The raven haired man said as he made his way back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him before Grimmjow could follow in. He leaned against the door and took in a deep breath. Pushing himself away from the door, he let the towel fall to allow himself to slip on his usual garments and clothing. Standing around shirtless, he flipped on the television. Large headlines blared across the screen, announcing the find of a gang completely obliterated by something that wasn't 'human'.

As quickly as it was turned on, he turned it off. He seated himself at the edge of the bed, forehead I his hands. Hearing the pitter patter of claws on the floor, he could hear the other moving about his home, opening doors and cupboards, seeing what hid behind every door. Vincent let a smile creep onto his lips as he stood, putting the rest of his clothes on before stepping out. As he opened the door and was about to step out into the hallway, there was a loud crash. Vincent blinked and groaned.

"Grimmjow. What the hell did you do now?" He asked while closing the door behind him as Grimmjow's head popped around the corner.

"Uhm…" Grimmjow grimaced as he looked behind him and his ears lowered immediately. He scurried away before Vincent had a chance to get close enough to grab him. Vincent watched him as he scurried under the coffee table that sat with a thin layer of dust. Vincent wasn't sure if he was up to the idea of going into the kitchen to find out just what he had knocked over. Holding his breath, he turned the corner that resulted in one stride to enter the kitchen. Surely enough, there was damage.

Laid across the floor was shattered plates as well as pans and pots, a bag of flour that was ripped open upon contact with the floor, and other objects that lay askew. Vincent put a hand to his forehead and let out a frustrated sigh.

"What was so interesting that you had to go and get it?" Vincent asked in a low growl. The other squirmed under the table and buried his face in his hands.

"I sorry. I saw shiny and wanted it." Grimmjow explained, watching the figure through split fingers. Receiving a glare from the other, he cowered as if touched with a hot iron. Vincent looked around for what was so 'shiny' that he had to have it.

The reflection.

The reflection of the outside sunlight that bounced onto the mirror landing on the counter. That's what had captured his attention. A little round dot of light stayed motionless as Vincent tapped a hand onto the reflection.

"You saw this reflection, right?" Vincent asked, pointing at the small orb of light. The man nodded grimly, afraid he was in for serious talking, but he blinked. The man had… smiled? Grimmjow was really confused at this moment, not sure why he was laughing since he had just broken a hundred dollars worth of plates.

"You really are too much like a cat." Vincent chuckled, moving a hand over the orb's spot on the countertop, his smile fading.

"But, you're going to have to clean up your mess, not me." Casting a glance as he spoke in a stern voice. Getting a vigorous nod of approval, Vincent nodded in return and turned around to a pantry that held the usual canned food as well as cleaning supplies. Pulling out a broom and dustpan, he held it out at his side.

"You can use these. I'm sure you remember how to use these, if not, I'll show you." Vincent said, displeasure in his voice as his eyes scanned the sea of broken china and battered pans that made its home on the floor. Grimmjow was at his side in a blink of an eye, his hand brushing the others as he made to grab the broom. Vincent nearly took his hand away quickly, but let it linger there as Grimmjow looked up at him. For a while, they stayed this way.

"U-Uhm…" Grimmjow squirmed, trying to pry the broom and pan out of his hands, which snapped Vincent back into reality. He let go, not noticing how hard he was holding both of them. Grimmjow then began to sweep the broken shards like a small child would, bent over, hand towards the head of the brush, and scooting across the floor on knees. The raven haired man sighed and turned away, only to hear a knock upon his door.

"Now who could this be at this hour…" He murmured, making it to the door in a single stride. Catching a glimpse of who was behind the door, he sighed.

"I should have known…" He grumbled, opening the door. There stood Yuffie.

"Happy Birthday, Vincent!" Yuffie said with her usual perky voice and smile. In her hands, she held a cake in a plastic wrapping. Vincent had to force himself to smile, even though he hated the fact that he was another year older. How old, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was about thirty or younger when he shot by Hojo and thrown into a tank to be used as an experiment after his father had died. Soon after that, he was forced to sleep in a coffin for thirty more years, now awakening when he was sixty, thanks to Cloud.

"Thanks, Yuffie." Vincent tried to say in a happy tone, taking the cake form her as she suddenly clung to him like a kitten to a ball of yarn. Vincent moved to pry her off, but she let go before he had the chance.

"So how's your friend doing?" Yuffie asked. Why did she have to ask about him?

"Fine, he's just… Cleaning a mess he made."

"Mess? What did he do?"

"Chased an immobile reflection of the sun."

"Ah." Was all Yuffie could muster. A few moments of silence flew by until she perked up.

"I brought you the cake, so why don't we eat it?" She asked her eyes in sparkles. Vincent sighed, unable to refuse as he nodded in agreement. Yuffie then swapped the cake from his hands with a small box with a red ribbon tied in a neat bow. Vincent turned to question Yuffie, but she was already gone. Turning his attention back at the gift in his hands, he pulled the ribbon by a one of the ends and watched as it fell apart in his hands. As if afraid of opening the remaining present, he decided to set it aside. He didn't want to bother with thank yous.

"Vincent, come on! Let's celebrate!" Yuffie called from the other room. Vincent took a last glance at the present and strolled into the kitchen. Finding Grimmjow and Yuffie smiling and chattering with one another as they ate their slice of cake, Vincent took a slice, but didn't dip his fork into the layered frosting.

"So, Grimmjow, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"I'm Yuffie! I'm a friend of Vincent's." She smiled, causing Grimmjow's ears to flick. He smiled in return.

"Y-Yuff!" Grimmjow struggled to say her name, Yuffie nearly choked as she giggled at her nick name.

"Yuff! That's a better name! You can call me that, Grimmy!" She said with her usual smile. Seesh, she had a small shell that wasn't able to contain all that happiness. Vincent dug his fork into the frosted cake and broke off a piece, putting in his mouth carefully. Grimmjow seemed to continue to eat like an animal. Vincent set his plate aside and moved over to sit next to Yuffie.

"Grimmjow, you need to eat properly." He said quietly, dragging his plate away from Grimmjow with a finger. He took the fork and carefully balanced a piece of the cake on the fork as he held it out toward Grimmjow. Getting the message, the blunette opened his mouth and pushed himself forward, clamping his mouth shut on the fork. Dragging his teeth along the metal, he pulled back. Chewing softly, Grimmjow stared at the table top. Yuffie continued to eat her cake in silence as the room grew into a deep stillness.

"Now you try." The silence was broken as he pushed the plate back towards Grimmjow as he picked up the fork. It wobbled in his grasp as he held it like a kid, all fingers wrapped around the neck of the fork. Driving it into the cake, he tore off a large piece and set it in his mouth, trying to be polite by attempting to chew with his mouth closed.

"Well, I should be on my way. Reeve has loaded me with training and missions." Yuffie said with a roll of her eyes. Vincent nodded and gave a small wave as Yuffie helped herself out the door. Now Vincent and Grimmjow were alone, what was on Vincent's mind as he stared at how Grimmjow reminded him of several of the smaller kids that he had rescued when Hojo tried to take over by using Weiss's body.

Just what was he thinking at the very moment?

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{5}  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sure enough after Yuffie had left, Vincent and Grimmjow decided to retreat to the living room, where the two sat as far away as possible. Grimmjow sitting in an odd position on one of the armchairs, seated like a cat, watching out the window. Vincent, however, was seated like a normal human being, but had his legs taking up the couch. The whole birthday surprise was something he was hoping not to expect, but who was to remember better then Yuffie? Vincent wormed his way lower onto the couch, hoping perhaps to have a peaceful sleep, unlike the night before.

"Vinny tired?" The blunette asked, cocking his head his way.

"Yeah." The raven haired man replied, casting a glance back the other's way.

"Maybe sleep?" The other asked, now creeping over the arm of the armchair. Vincent didn't have the slightest idea what he was doing until he found him with either hands, or paws in that matter, on his sofa arm opposite of him. He arched a brow.

"I've been meaning to." He replied, still watching him. He seemed to inch closer, like something attracted him. Hopefully it wasn't Vincent himself, or so he hoped. But Grimmjow stopped short when reached a hair's length away from the other. He watched him with intent eyes, trying to lure the other away from him, his rubies staring into the sapphires, but it didn't seem to work.

"…" Neither said a word as Grimmjow began his journey over to Vincent's slender body, careful not to touch anything. Soon, he was lying with both hands on the male's chest, his eyes staring up to the other. His body was in between the raven haired man's legs, making Vincent wish he was elsewhere at this time. But it didn't seem to bother him and he just couldn't understand why it didn't affect him in any way.

"Vinny sleep now?" The panther asked, tilting his head to the side. Vincent reached a hand up, only to have the other flinch afraid of being hit, ears low. But to his surprise, he instead felt the cold steel of the other's gantlet brushing through his long, aqua mane. He looked up to see the other just watching his own hand move through the soft mane. Grimmjow couldn't help but stare at the male's face, how he didn't seem to push him away. Maybe he tried, but not physically.

"V-Vinny?" Grimmjow stammered, casting his eyes away from the other. Vincent said nothing in reply but instead, pulled the other to himself and let out a sigh.

"Just get some sleep." Vincent muttered, closing his eyes against the light. Grimmjow's tail flicked, unsure of what to think of the situation, it seemed that his memories of 'feelings' or 'emotions' were returning as he laid there. He curled his tail around him until it brushed his own nose. Grimmjow then closed his own eyes and snuggled into the other, a soft purr escaping his lips.

As the light of the moon now rose and shone in the living room, giving every object a bleached color, Vincent awoke to find himself cold and without the other, who was now in the armchair and sleeping peacefully as if he had not moved from his spot since the two fell asleep. With a scratch to his raven hair, he rose out of the couch and held back a yawn. Vincent tried his best not to wake the other by moving silently, like all the times he had before. Finally in the kitchen, he looked to see it was spotless. Perhaps Grimmjow cleaned faster then he thought, since it was only two minutes since Yuffie had entered to the time she had went into the kitchen.

Leaning against the rim of the counter, he gazed into the sink, seeing the soft reflection of himself on the stainless steel. Thoughts ran through his head, causing him to grip the sides of the sink tighter, so tight that the leather protested with a slight squeak. Vincent felt a pair of teal eyes staring at him, digging into his back. He straightened up and turned slightly, his eyes meeting the other in a brief acknowledgement before the other tore his eyes away. Vincent then turned back to the sink, his reflection was distorted.

"Vince? What's the matter?" A voice asked, it didn't sound like the other who was in here, but when he turned his gaze towards the other, concern flickered over his features. Vincent looked away, how did his vocabulary improve so quickly? Was he gaining his memories back?

"Nothing's wrong. Just thinking." Vincent lied. He still felt the other's stare as it clawed into his back. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Are you sure?" The voice asked again, Grimmjow's tail flicked in anticipation to find out what was bothering his friend.

"Yes, I'm fine." He sighed, turning around to face the other to show that he was fine. He hadn't smiled since the bathtub incident. He watched as Grimmjow slithered back into the arm chair and curled up again, burring his face under his pawed hands. Vincent let a small smile pry across his lips as he turned back around and decided that now would be the best time to make supper.

Grimmjow's legs kicked back and fourth from where he sat from the dinner table. He stared at the food before him; hamburgers with noodles drowned in spaghetti sauce. He casted a glance up at Vincent, who was quietly eating his dinner without a sound. Dipping the fork into the noodles, twisting it around in a continuous circle, then picking it up and putting it in his mouth. Grimmjow looked to the fork that lay by the plate. Reaching out, he picked it up and mimicked Vincent's moves so he knew how to eat this strange food that he had forgotten existed. Vincent looked up only once throughout the whole session and didn't say a word. As he looked up, he couldn't help but let a smile creep across his face as he watched Grimmjow struggle with the food.

Soon after supper was finished, the two were now in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes and drying them. Grimmjow handled the drying and putting the dishes away, often asking where to put the objects when he couldn't remember. Pointing him in the right direction, he continued to wash the dishes. Vincent and Grimmjow then retreated to the couch that they were asleep on not too long ago. Vincent sank into the comfort of the couch as Grimmjow sank in the arm chair. He sat down and let his hands rest at the edge of the seat. He tilted his head towards Vincent and blinked. What was the raven haired man thinking about? Should he ask?

"Vinny, what you think about?" Grimmjow broke the silence, catching Vincent off guard. He tilted his head towards the cat and shrugged.

"Nothing really. You?"

"Nothing."

"That's boring. I thought you would have a million questions running through your mind." Vincent smirked. Grimmjow's ears fell flat.

"I did, but they answered." He replied; his ears erect once more as his tail whipped here and there, making a small slapping sound on the surface of the chair. Vincent raised a brow at his reply.

"How did I answer them without even telling you an answer?" Vincent asked receiving a shrug from the other as he nuzzled his head in the crook of his arm. Vincent sighed, sinking deeper into the couch as he pulled the blanket over him and crossed his arms.

"Night." He said to the other, with no response in return.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{6}  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't long until the silence and peace was disturbed by the sound of cracking glass. Vincent was the first to wake, his eyes opening slowly as he sat up. Running a hand through his raven hair, he turned his head to look towards the windows. Squinting, he swore he saw something like a small insect or something. But what he didn't realize that the glass was breaking due to a force that Vincent himself couldn't feel. The slivers soon snaked across the surface, leaving trails of distorted vision.

"What the…" Vincent muttered as he watched the glass create elaborate designs. Then the world went deaf. The glass shattered, it all seemed like time was in slow motion, the glass rained towards Vincent as he shielded his face with his arms, shards of glass digging themselves deep into his arms. He was blown backwards off the couch. With a glimpse, he saw that the blue headed man wasn't sleeping on the chair, but rather, no where in sight. Vincent clenched his teeth as he moved to stand.

"Hey! I know you're in there Grimmjow! Come out and fight me!" A voice roared, drawing Vincent's eyes up to the figure that was now leaping through the shattered portal. Landing without a sound, the man rested a large blade on his shoulders and looked around.

"Damn, I know he's here." The man said, looking over to spot Vincent. Orange hair topped this man's head as well as brown eyes. He stared at Vincent for a while before shifting the sword from his shoulder to be holding it out towards Vincent.

"Hey. Who are you? Where's Grimmjow?" The man asked.

"How very polite… it's common curtsy to introduce one self before having the other introduce themselves." Sarcasm found its way into Vincent's voice as he stood there calmly, causing the other to shift slightly.

"Tch. My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. And I'm looking for Grimmjow." Ichigo snapped, he wasn't in the mood to talk to a man to seemed to take this all for a game.

"Grimmjow? Ah, yes, him. As of late, he seemed to have wandered off. Or is hiding." Vincent said with a small hint of a grin. This tipped Ichigo off and his face became distorted as he grits his teeth.

"Damn you. You're hiding him. Patching him up, huh?" Ichigo growled, he twisted his body into a stance that meant that Vincent would have to fight. Vincent continued to stand there, unmoved by the orange head's words. This edged Ichigo more to the point of just wanted to slaughter the male into pork chops.

"Says the one that broke my window." Vincent said his arms dangling at his sides, the shards were embedded deeply, blood was freely flowing, running a river down the curves of his fingers to towards the floor. That was the final straw for Ichigo, for he was already in front of him before Vincent could bat and eye. With a swift twist of his hip and feet, he dodged the blow by only a hair's length, causing him to twist to the side. Ichigo, however, was quicker as pulled his sword to the right, cutting air as he attempted to hit Vincent. Due to Vincent's experience with sword fighters, he was at the advantage. While the sword made its way to his carotid artery, a golden flash appeared between the blade. The gauntlet wasn't used for defense, but mainly for melee attacks when there was no time to reload. With fingers locked around the blade, he managed to cause the other to have difficulty removing it from Vincent's grasp.

"What the hell?" Ichigo rasped before he was stuttering backwards, just receiving a blow to the stomach. Vincent still had the blade in his hand as he moved in with quick steps, pulling the other to him as he drew back his hand and drew it across the cheek bones of the orange headed man's face. Ichigo took a hard yank as the blade sliced through the glove and slit his hand deeply. With a hiss, Vincent drew back towards the glassy battlefield.

"What the hell are you?" Ichigo asked, "You're not a shinigami… Or a Hollow… What are you?"

"I am all of these, yet none of them. I am Vincent. Vincent Valentine." He said in the same, cold, monotone voice that was all so familiar.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo bellowed, drawing his sword in front of him, ready to fight. Vincent just stared at him, but somehow, he couldn't move. His body wasn't responding to his thoughts. He commanded it to move, even the Hollow inside of him wasn't moving, its voice was muted against this… Person's presence. The silence was harsh and dragged on for what seemed minutes, but it only lasted a few seconds before Ichigo finally had regained his body's attention.

With a growl, Ichigo had faded from the man's sight. Vincent wasn't expecting this as he looked around the room, he couldn't sense the other's presence, it was as if he had erased himself from the air. Vincent didn't have the advantage anymore, for he soon found out when a long object was found smiling a wicked smile out from between his ribs. Vincent stuttered as the orange headed boy grinned.

"I win." Ichigo said, ready to twist the blade and to end this once and for all, but his body again, wouldn't listen. He coxed his body, screamed at it even, but it wouldn't move. Why? Ichigo dragged his eyes from the one caught in his grasp to see a looming figure in the shadows of the hallway. It had teal eyes that shone brightly, growled threateningly, and sauntered towards him in a disturbing way. Ichigo couldn't tell what it was until it stepped into the light. It was Grimmjow.

"G-Grimmjow. Run. Get out of here, you idiot!" Vincent growled between clenched teeth, but the beast wasn't listening. It continued it's stalking towards the two of them. Ichigo tried frantically to remove the blade, when he realized that the raven haired man had a tight grip on it. Ichigo cursed in his mind as the panther's growls and snarls became louder. Whatever had happened to Grimmjow, he wasn't in his right mind. His eyes were pure teal, claws extended, tail lashing, and fangs bared.

"Why can't I move?" Ichigo screamed, his fingers were wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword as his feet were planted firmly on the ground. Grimmjow let out a low growl as he continued his way towards Ichigo, who now wanted to get out of there. Something wasn't right with Grimmjow, this wasn't like him. But it was too late for Grimmjow was already mid-way towards his target. Claws met flesh as Grimmjow had his prey and was delivering blows that could have killed a normal man in a mere swipe. Ichigo screamed in both pain and terror as he rolled out of the way, grabbing for his sword as he nearly was able to dodge all the blows being thrown at him.

Vincent had pulled out the sword carefully and was staggering towards his armchair. But now seated in his armchair, he held his chest as the world around him started to twist and turn. He held the sword tightly in his fingers, but they started to uncoil as the sword clattered to the ground. Vincent seemed to have not been in his body at that moment when Ichigo finally had a hold of his sword, only to have Grimmjow unleash a barrage of swipes and tail whips. That was when Ichigo decided that retreat was best.

"Damn you, Grimmjow!" Ichigo cursed at the bluenette as he leapt out of the window, lucky to still have his life. Grimmjow gave chase, only to return empty handed and dissatisfied. But that all changed as the familiar sight of long ears being bent downward as he approached his friend. His eyes were large, much like a frightened cat, and his tail hung low. He raised a black hand towards the other. Vincent didn't respond for he was in a dream-like state, between life and death, he guessed. Grimmjow didn't know what to do and was frantic. He started to bolt around the house and tried to remember anything important as in people he could talk to.

"Yuff!" He exclaimed as he made a mad scurry to the countertop where he last saw Vincent place his cell phone. He didn't know what to do with one of these odd devices, so he just pushed on whatever he thought would work and waited. The phone rang. And rang. Finally.

"Murhhg… Hello?" A familiar voice made Grimmjow explode.

"Yuff! Vinny hurt bad! Help! Please!" Grimmjow said frantically, hearing the other mutter something and asking him if it was a joke. But by the sound of Grimmjow's rapid breathing, she guessed otherwise.

"Relax, Grimmy, I'll be there ASAP! Just keep him awake!" Yuffie said as she hung up. Grimmjow fumbled with the phone before closing it, since he didn't know how to hang up this strange device. He put it back on the counter as he bounded towards the family room, where the glass littered the floor and his friend sat.

"V-Vinny?" A soft voice asked. There was no reply for the duration that Grimmjow held his breath, but Vincent replied with a growl.

"Urh… Damnit. I walked right into that one." Vincent cursed, lifted his hand off of his chest to see the damage. The color seemed to drain from his face as he sighed, resting his head on the back of the arm chair. He opened his eyes slightly, his pupils moving to rest on the squeamish figure of the oversized cat.

"Grimmjow. I told you to run." Vincent muttered, a smile appearing on his face. "But I guess staying was better."

"Vincent…" Grimmjow whined, reaching out a paw towards the raven haired man who quietly reached his hand out towards Grimmjow. The two hands collided and their fingers interlocked with one another. Vincent seemed to be forcing a smile on his face.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Vincent said with a squeeze of his hand. Grimmjow didn't look like he would believe him anytime soon, he had seen many a comrade die, but of course, he didn't remember any of that, or anyone for that matter.

"Promise?" Grimmjow asked, his hands trembling. Vincent nodded.

"Promise." The male replied his smile still on his face as he laid his head against the back of the chair a second time. Grimmjow watched him closely, his attention distracted by the feeling of a loosing grip. He looked quickly to his hand and back. His friend has his eyes closed, his smile faded, and his breathing light. Grimmjow began to feel the hysteria fill up inside, but he pushed it down. He ran his thumb across Vincent's backside of his hand, feeling himself grow calm instead of hysterical.

"Hurry up, Yuffie." Grimmjow whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{7}

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" A voice boomed to nurses that stood in the hallways, causing them to duck out of the way. The gurney had a man strapped on to prevent him from moving. The man was connected to a respirator and a heart monitor to make sure he didn't slip into respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest for that matter. Yuffie watched as the men and women rushed down the hallway. Yuffie wasn't the kind of person who would worry about Vincent getting himself nearly killed. He's cheated death so many times she couldn't keep track.

"Damnit Vincent. Don't go dying on us." Yuffie said as she yawned, still in her pajama clothes, and scratched the back of her head. She watched them fade into the distance behind doors that swung on its hinges. Yuffie nearly roundhouse kicked the man who had placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, but turned around to see a police officer.

"Sorry for startling you, ma'am, but do you need a ride home?" The man offered, how could she refuse? She nodded her head and rubbed her face with her hands as the police officer led her to his cruiser, opening the door to the back to let her in. Sliding in, she watched as the officer shut the door and made his way to the driver's side of the cruiser.

It wasn't long until they were back at Vincent's apartment when she waved at the police officer that had just drove her home. She let out a yawn and scratched the back of her head as she made her way up the spiral staircase, hoping to find Grimmjow waiting for her waiting to hear the news. But to her surprise, he wasn't there when she entered. She placed her hands on her hips and pouted.

"Jesus, Grimmjow, don't get yourself killed!" She said to no one in particular as she made her way to the living room, pausing to look at all the damage. Thinking twice, she turned around and decided that it would be best to sleep in one of the spare rooms instead.

Meanwhile the shadows twitched as another merged in. Of course, it wasn't just a shadow of a building or an object, it was the shadow of a man who walked on all fours, scaled the buildings with ease, and looked around carefully before setting foot any further. Eyes watched everything that moved to make sure it didn't see this strange mutation of a man before darting in between the buildings. Pausing, the man looked at his surroundings, hoping to find a clue of where his friend lay. A sign that held a great white circle and a large red plus caught his attention and he guessed that was where his friend was being held. Without thinking, the man darted towards the building in hopes of getting there without any distractions.

With little effort, the man climbed his way up the side of the building, looking into every window he came across to see if his friend was there, waiting for him. He remembered the others scent and sniffed about, sneezing a couple of times as dead flesh entered his nose. He couldn't tell if it was dead flesh, but it sure did smell like it. He tasted copper on his lips from this place of all the blood it held. A flick of his tail and he caught the scent he was looking for. Unable to contain his excitement, he made his way towards the window he knew was his. Of course, he thought that the that him scaling the buildings was a foolish idea since he stuck out like a soar thumb, but it seemed that the night life was nonexistent at the time. Everything was dead quiet but for the occasional chatter of stray cats and dogs that hid themselves from the world.

Without a second thought, he laid both hands onto the windowsill and pulled himself up, so that he was squatting on the sill. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, wanting not to wait to see if his friend was alright. As soon as everything became clear for him to see, he slowly crept in, one hand in front of the other as he watched around, claws clicking on the linoleum floor. He did pause a couple of times when a night nurse walked past the door out in the hallway. He could see them, for the room Vincent was in was the Intensive Care Unit, or the ICU. He stayed still as a china doll perched on a shelf and watched as they left his view. With a slow sigh, he made his way closer to the bed, carefully pulling himself up on his hind legs to get a better view. What he saw, he didn't like.

Vincent was motionless, hooked up to a heart monitor that made a beep for every pulse his friend's heart made. A ventilation tube snaked its way into Vincent's mouth and down his throat to allow him to breathe. Many objects were hooked up to him, making him look like he was more of a machine then a human being. Vincent didn't stir as the IVs dripped the life saving liquids into his veins. Grimmjow didn't know what to do at that moment but just to watch and stare as his friend battled for his life. He laid his head down upon his folded hands and his ears dropped to show that he was afraid and sad. He watched the chest rise and fall as he was breathing with the help of the machine that he was knelt next to. He closed his eyes and burrowed his face in his hands and let out a small whine.

He couldn't remember if he fell asleep or if he just blinked, because to his surprise, he felt a reassuring hand on his head and he quickly jerked his head up to look at the figure that laid on the bed. The eyes were still closed, but the hand was indeed his. Grimmjow didn't know how to feel, but he was relieved that he was alright. Even if he could see or not. Grimmjow took hold of the male's hand and held it in his own. The fingers wrapped around his palm and he put his cheek to his hand and let out a soft purr. Oh how great it was to know that a close friend was alive and doing alright. He felt that he could just cry at that very moment, but crying wasn't going to solve anything. Only strength and faith were able to do that.

"Vincent... Get well soon. I miss you already." He purred, a smile forming on the others lips.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine... Although I'm in this sorry state." The familiar voice laughed softly, Grimmjow couldn't help but laugh as well. That was when Grimmjow let go of the others hand and pushed himself to sit on the bed with the other as he looked down at the floor, the shiny linoleum illuminating the moon as it sneaked in. Grimmjow was still purring, even as he spoke.

"Yuff is worried too, although she no act like it." Grimmjow said, causing the other to smile.

"That's because she knows me all to well. I get this way often, comes with the job when you work for Reeve. Heh, but honestly, don't worry. I usually am out of these damn clean places in a couple of days or so." Vincent promised, his eyes opened just a crack to allow him to see the moonlit figure of the strange man he saved from a band of thugs.

"Ah." Was all the cat man could muster, still looking towards the floor. Vincent let out a sigh, even though he really wasn't awake at the moment, nor talking. How could he talk with a massive tube in his throat? Grimmjow wasn't hearing his voice, he was hearing his heart speak, the actions weren't real either. He was feeling them through his heart. Grimmjow looked up out the window and sighed, the moon twinkled as did it's many little sisters and brothers in the sky with it.

"Get well soon."


	8. Chapter 8

Stars Are Holding You Tonight

xChapter{8}

The next few days seemed endless as the feline sat on the couch, looking out the only window that wasn't patched up. Yuffie was with him to watch over the house and to take care of the stranger, but he didn't seem to want to do anything. He seemed too absorbed in fantasy then reality, as if he was blaming himself for what happened.

"Grimmjow... You can't just hate yourself for what happened, you know. Vincent's reckless and gets himself into this kind of mess all the time. It's not like this is the first time he's nearly died." Yuffie tried to reason with the male, but he seemed like he wasn't listening, but his ears said otherwise. They were slightly turned towards her and twitched every now and then when it caught another sound that wasn't her voice. She finally sighed when the male turned to look at her, his eyes soft and relaxed, like he had just realized he was being talked to. She smiled and put her hands on her hips and wagged a finger.

"Now who's hungry? I may not be the best cook, but I can sure make a mean omelet!" She said with a wink. Grimmjow just rose a brow and smiled, finally after the other was hospitalized. He nodded with a flick of his tail. "Alright! Let's get stuff together... What would you like in it?"

"What?" The other said in confusion.

"What would you like in your omelet? Cheese, salsa, bacon, whatever. What would you like?"

"Uhm... Surprise... Me?" He said in an uneasy tone, slightly wincing. She let out a snort and nodded.

"Alright! I'll surprise you." Yuffie then turned on her heels and skipped into the kitchen with a Grimmjow following behind at his own pace. He now was able to keep himself from walking on all fours, but would still do it occasionally whenever he felt the need. He walked on thin legs, sitting on the stool like a normal human being, a leg crossed the other as he crossed his arms on the counter. He watched with cat-like eyes, watching her every move. She was just at the moment to crack the shells and pour them into a pan when the phone rang.

"Now who could that be? Better not be Reeve asking for another so called 'favor'." Yuffie guessed as she picked up the phone, caressing it between cheek and shoulder as she moved back into the kitchen.

"Residence of Vincent Valentine, Yuffie speaking." She answered, quickly coming up with a way to explain why she was at his place. Her annoyed face suddenly beamed as she looked over her shoulder. "Hello, Vincent! How are you!"

With a twitch of the ears, Grimmjow looked up suddenly, his tail stopped in mid-flick as he listened, but soon finished it's trip in the lazy circle. Grimmjow moved a finger in a timeless circle on the countertop as he listened, his ears focusing forward and off to the side as she spoke.

"Of course, we're fine. No problems here! Yeah? Oh... I don't know if he wants to talk, he's been out of it lately..." Yuffie whispered the last line into the receiver, turning slightly away as she continued to make the breakfest. She continued to talk to the other as she made the meal, looking over her shoulder once in a while to see what Grimmjow was up to. For now, he had his head on his arms and looking the other way, his eyes seemed lifeless almost.

"Yeah, I'll let him know. I'll see you later then. Good-bye." Hanging up the phone, she turned to Grimmjow with a nod. "He'll be home soon, in a few hours at least. The doctors want to make sure he's well enough to move on his own."

"That's great." Grimmjow said with a poor attempt at a smile. His head craned slightly to look at the other. "That's great news."

"Are you okay, Grimmjow? I mean... You've been acting odd lately." Yuffie asked, now leaning slightly on the counter, her face holding an expression of worry. Grimmjow just smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine, just need some time..." He said, his smile fading as he laid his head back on his arms. He wasn't ready to accept the fact that Vincent tried to protect him. He felt so useless. So... Weak. He was supposed to protect Vincent before Ichigo had a chance to attack. But it seemed his memories snapped back in a little too late.

"Grimmjow..." Yuffie started, a hand moving to touch the others hand. To her surprise, Grimmjow actually allowed her to touch him, his hand turning upward as the fingers folded over hers. "Grimmjow, I do hope you realize that this isn't your fault."

"I know, Yuffie... It's just... I should have been stronger." Grimmjow replies with a shake of his head, his eyes half lidded as he stares at the intertwined hands.

"Just promise me you'll get better, and don't do anything irrational."

"I promise."

"Good. Now, about that omelet..." Yuffie pulled away from the other and turned to finish what she started, pulling out assorted items from the fridge. Grimmjow watched for only a moment before lifting himself off of the stool and wandering into the living room, slumping onto the couch where he stretched before curling up.

"It should be ready in a couple of minutes, so don't fall asleep on me!" The voice called from the kitchen, the sound of kitchen ware scraping against pots and plates, bags opening and the gentle hum of the fridge as it was opened and closed. Grimmjow couldn't really keep his eyes open any longer then they already have, and with the gentle hums, his chest rumbled with a soft purr as he closed his eyes. A tail flicked to cover his face as his fingers curled around the blanket that was drapped across the couch.

When Yuffie had finished, she waltzed into the living room and saw him asleep. With both hands on her hips and weight on one leg, she sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" She said, now turning back into the kitchen and wrapping the meal with aluminum foil to keep it warm for when he woke. Instead of just shuffling off to bed to have a nap for herself, she made another omelet and filled it with her favorite food things. After the food was finally tucked away into the pit of her stomach, she cleaned up her mess she had left inthe kitchen and made her way into the guest bedroom. With that, she crawled into bed and stretched before falling dead cold into sleep.

In the living room, the man moved slightly as the sound of a door clicked open and closed. Something hit the floor in a heavy thud with a few clunks, but it didn't cause the man to stir from his sleep. Whomever entered the room was very light on their feet and had found themself looking over the sleeping figure. A hand was outstretched to brush away stray strands of hair.

"Sleeping on the couch, are we?" The voice mused, watching as one of the male's long ears twitched as it reconized the familiar voice. An eye opened, a smile, then the eye closed as he nuzzled himself into the crook of his own arm.

"Mhmmm... Welcome home, Vinny."


End file.
